Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco have the best modern ballparks.

Even as a die-hard Reds fan, I have to disagree with Great American Ballpark being one of the best modern ballparks. Yeah, you sit closer to the action than some of the other newer parks (thanks to that gimmicky notch), but who the hell wants a view of Northern Kentucky when you've got arguably one of the best skylines in the country right behind the stadium?

There was a movement in the mid 1990s to place the new Reds ballpark on the eastern edge of Over-the-Rhine (dubbed by many as "Broadway Commons") that would have been the boon for development that the area north of Downtown Cincinnati so desperately needs. GABP is an okay place to see a game, but its too disconnected from the rest of Downtown thanks to Fort Washington Way, and too disconnected from Newport thanks to the Ohio River.

I am sorry, but a stadium list is not complete without discussion on PNC park. This stadium's design is a true masterpiece. The way it blends the game in with the city and rivers is great. I only visited 3 stadiums so I may be ignorant on which on is the best. However, having a discussion about baseball stadiums and not mentioning PNC is ludicrous.

Am I missing something here? Maybe its my Cincinnati "can't-do" mentality, but what do others see in Great American that makes it a cut above some of the other retro parks (which, in theory, are just a re-hash of the 1960s-70s cookie-cutter type stadia only with better ameneties aka "Since everyone else has one, we've gotta have one too!").

As far as I'm concerned, the story of Great American Ballpark is modern-day Cincinnati in a nutshell: They had the opportunity to build something great (a la a "Place of the Fans" for the 21st Century) in Broadway Commons, or even a ballpark with an outfield that faced Downtown Cincinnati, but in typical fashion, the damn park was built with a view of the wrong side of the Ohio, and despite the sea of red seats (they're the Cincinnati Reds, go figure!), the building's mix of white and concrete (No green? No red beyond the seats? No multicolored seating as an homage to Riverfront ?) is dreadfully sterile compared to modern parks that were built right (Camden Yards or PNC, for example).

AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants and the 2007 MLB ALL-STAR game. AT&T park is the best stadium in baseball! McCovey cove is great. I also like Wrigley field, because you get views of Chicago.

Am I missing something here? Maybe its my Cincinnati "can't-do" mentality, but what do others see in Great American that makes it a cut above some of the other retro parks (which, in theory, are just a re-hash of the 1960s-70s cookie-cutter type stadia only with better ameneties aka "Since everyone else has one, we've gotta have one too!").

As far as I'm concerned, the story of Great American Ballpark is modern-day Cincinnati in a nutshell: They had the opportunity to build something great (a la a "Place of the Fans" for the 21st Century) in Broadway Commons, or even a ballpark with an outfield that faced Downtown Cincinnati, but in typical fashion, the damn park was built with a view of the wrong side of the Ohio, and despite the sea of red seats (they're the Cincinnati Reds, go figure!), the building's mix of white and concrete (No green? No red beyond the seats? No multicolored seating as an homage to Riverfront ?) is dreadfully sterile compared to modern parks that were built right (Camden Yards or PNC, for example).

I asked pretty much that exact question when I went on the GABP tour a year or so ago. The tour guide told my father and myself that it had something to do with Major League Baseball regulations regarding which way home plate faces.

I imagine in newer stadiums, having a home plate facing in any sort of westward direction is forbidden because of the distraction sunsets would give batters during games occurring at dusk.

The alternative views would've been looking at I-71/Mount Adams or I/71/Procter and Gamble. Even if they could've constructed GABP with home plate looking at the skyline, the main gate for the stadium would've been situated facing the river, and not central to any main arteries.

In hindsight, GABP should have been where Paul Brown is and vice-versa.